Drug dealers recruited missing children to distribute drugs

Harvey Duffy, 20, of Egerton Road in Walkden, and Cameron Caswell, 23, of Botany Road in Eccles, were both sentenced at Manchester Crown Court for their roles in a drugs operation in Little Hulton, which involved the use and exploitation of vulnerable people, including missing children.

Duffy pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine and was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

Caswell was jailed for six years and 10 months after admitting possession of a firearm and ammunition, as well as being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis.

DC Naylor, from Greater Manchester Police’s Salford district, said: “Duffy and Caswell exploited vulnerable people in their community – including children – as part of their criminality.

“Drugs profits meant much more for these offenders than the wellbeing of these people.

“By regularly exploiting those most vulnerable, Duffy and Caswell were able to distribute drugs across Little Hulton, making illicit profit and contributing to the cycle of misery that drug dealing permeates.

“I’m glad that they are now behind bars and away from those they would seek to exploit.”

The court heard that the pair operated a Class A drug line that used the home of a vulnerable drug user as a base and recruited children to distribute drugs in the community.

Investigators found nearly 1,000 messages between Duffy and the children over a three-month period, showing he directed their actions and placed them in dangerous situations.

At the time, the children were listed as missing from home and were staying at the address of a vulnerable drug user—a known marker of county lines exploitation.

Duffy was arrested and charged in February 2026, and Caswell was arrested and charged the following month.

Significant communications between the pair were revealed.

Caswell was also convicted of firearms offences after a gun was found hidden at a property in Little Hulton.